United Nations Security Council Resolution 2431 – The situation in Somalia

Resolution 2431 (2018)

The Security Council,

Recalling all its previous resolutions and statements of its President on the situation in Somalia,

Reaffirming its respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, political independence, and unity of Somalia, and underscoring the importance of working to prevent destabilising effects of regional crises and disputes from spilling over into Somalia,

Condemning Al Shabaab attacks in Somalia and beyond, expressing serious concern at the ongoing threat posed by Al Shabaab, and underlining its concern that Al Shabaab continues to hold territory and extort revenue in Somalia,

Expressing outrage at the loss of civilian life in Al Shabaab attacks, and paying tribute to the bravery and sacrifices made by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali security forces personnel in the fight against Al Shabaab, and recognising the need to preserve the gains made through their commitment,

Reiterating its determination to support efforts to reduce the threat posed by Al Shabaab in Somalia, and underlining its commitment to support an inclusive Somali-led political peace and reconciliation process,

Condemning the continued violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law in Somalia, in particular those involving the deliberate targeting of civilians and the recruitment of children,

Welcoming the positive contributions that the UN Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) has made to supporting the gains made by AMISOM and the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), and underscoring the importance of an effective partnership between the United Nations, the African Union (AU) and Member States in Somalia,

Recognising that the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) has the primary responsibility to protect its citizens and build its own national security forces, noting that these forces should be inclusive and representative of Somalia and act in full compliance with their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law,

Welcoming the development of a conditions-based transition plan with clear target dates for the progressive transfer of security responsibilities from AMISOM to the Somali security institutions and forces, and calling for its swift finalisation of the detailed transition and implementation with full participation from all stakeholders, recalling the critical importance of accelerating the implementation of the National Security Architecture agreement between the FGS and the Federal Member States (FMSs), including decisions to define the composition and roles of Somalia’s security forces and to integrate and provide federal support to regional forces, in order to provide the foundation for a successful transition, and welcoming the renewed commitment of the FGS and the FMSs to accelerating security sector reform at the Somalia Partnership Forum in Brussels on 16–17 July,

Reaffirming the strong commitment of international partners to support the FGS and FMSs in establishing under the National Security Council and Regional Security Councils, a capable, accountable, acceptable and affordable Somali-led security sector as set out in the Security Pact adopted by Somalia and international partners on 11 May 2017 at the London Somalia Conference,

Recognising that a more stable Somalia is of vital importance to ensuring regional security,

AMISOM

Commending the contribution of AMISOM to lasting peace and stability in Somalia, noting its critical role in improving the security situation and in providing the security to enable peacebuilding and statebuilding progress in Somalia, including two national political processes, acknowledging the important contribution of AMISOM and the AU in support of the Somali political process, expressing its appreciation for the continued commitment of troops, police and equipment to AMISOM by the Governments of Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, and recognising the significant sacrifices made by AMISOM forces,

Recalling the Conclusions on Children and Armed Conflict (S/AC.51/2017/2),

Taking note of the Joint AU-UN Review of AMISOM, as requested in paragraph 23 of resolution 2372 (2017), the Report on the Ten Year Lessons Learned from AMISOM 2007–2017, and the African Union Peace and Security Council’s communiqué of 27 June 2018 on the situation in Somalia and AMISOM,

Taking note of the Report of the AU-UN Special Envoys on AMISOM financing and its finding that in the immediate term voluntary contributions are required at an adequate level,

Expressing its support for a transfer of security tasks from AMISOM to the Somali security forces, in line with the National Security Architecture, in a gradual and conditions-based manner, to ensure that the hard won security gains are preserved,

Recalling the decision in paragraph 5 of its resolution 2372 (2017) to reduce the level of uniformed AMISOM personnel by 30 October 2018, regretting the need to delay that reduction to 28 February 2019, and stressing that there should be no further delays to implementation of future decisions to reduce the level of uniformed AMISOM personnel,

Encouraging the AU to evaluate regularly AMISOM’s performance including the performance of troop and police contingents to ensure that the mission has the skills and flexibility to carry out its mandate effectively, including through performance evaluation linked to clearly identified benchmarks and st andards,

Welcoming the AU’s investigation of allegations of sexual violence against some AMISOM troops, underlining the importance of the AU implementing the recommendations of its findings, taking action to prevent further abuses, and in line with resolution 2272 (2016),

Expressing concern over reports of pro-Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da’esh) elements in Somalia and the security implications of the situation in Yemen for Somalia,

Expressing grave concern at the ongoing multifaceted humanitarian situation, and commending AMISOM’s efforts to create conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance,

Recalling its Presidential statement S/PRST/2011/15, recognising the adverse effects of climate change, ecological changes and natural disasters among other factors on the stability of Somalia, including through drought, desertification, land degradation, and food insecurity, and emphasising the need for adequate risk assessment and risk management strategies by governments and the United Nations relating to these factors,

Determining that the situation in Somalia continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security,

Acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations,

Adopted by the Security Council at its 8321st meeting, on 30 July 2018.